We Walk Because He Walked First

Monday, June 12, 2023

We love each other because he loved us first.  1 John 4:19

For many years in American culture, love has been portrayed as a feeling that overcomes you.  It includes weak knees, unexplainable loss of appetite, head-in-the-clouds, and that goofy look on your face.  That is not really love, but rather it is romance, a kind of lust-driven drunkenness. 

Love is also not doing things for other people because you have the means and they don’t.  That is simply what many nice people do out of compassion, at best.  A lesser motive is that we fear being like the poor folks; our generosity is to appease whatever gods control the distribution of stuff.  Christian love is doing what other people need most, simply because truth and integrity demand it.

Football great Bubba Smith has sworn off booze. Not drinking it, but selling it. Bubba never did drink, but he sold tons of beer by making cute television ads. Not anymore.  Bubba kicked the habit….Here's how it happened (in his own words):

I went back to Michigan State for the homecoming parade last year, I was the grand marshal and I was riding in the backseat of this car.  The people were yelling, but they weren't saying, 'Go, State, go!'  One side of the street was yelling, Tastes great' and the other side was yelling Less filling.  Everyone in the stands is drunk.  It was like I was contributing to alcohol, and I don't drink.  It made me realize I was doing something I didn't want to do.  I was with my brother, Tody, who is my agent.  I told him, Tody, I'll never do another Lite beer commercial.  I loved doing the commercials, but I didn't like the effect it was having on a lot of little people.  

Everything that makes a believer act unselfishly, truthfully, and compassionately is motivated by the Master’s love.  We love because he first loved us: 

He could hear the crowds screaming "crucify, crucify".  He could hear the hatred in their voices.  These were his chosen people.  He loved them, and they were going to crucify him.  He was beaten, bleeding and weakened; his heart was broken, but still He walked.  He could see the crowd as he came from the palace.  He knew each of the faces so well.  He had created them.  He knew every smile, laugh, and shed tear, but now they were contorted with rage and anger...his heart broke; But still He walked.  Was he scared?  You and I would have been, so his humanness would have mandated that he was.  He felt alone.  His disciples had left, denied, and even betrayed him.  He searched the crowd for a loving face and he saw very few.  Then he turned his eyes to the only one that mattered, and he knew that he would never be alone.  He looked back at the crowd, at the people who were spitting at him, throwing rocks at him, and mocking him, and he knew that because of him, they would never be alone.    So for them, He walked.  The sounds of the hammer striking the spikes echoed through the crowd. The sounds of his cries echoed even louder; the cheers of the crowd, as his hands and feet were nailed to the cross intensified with each blow.  Loudest of all was the still small voice inside his heart that whispered I am with you, my son.  And God's heart broke.  He had let his son walk.

Jesus could have asked God to end his suffering, but instead he asked God to forgive.  Not to forgive him, but to forgive the ones who were persecuting him.  As he hung on that cross, dying an unimaginable death, he looked out and saw, not only the faces in the crowd, but also, the face of every person yet to be, and his heart filled with love.  As his body was dying, his heart was alive; alive with the limitless, unconditional love he feels for each of us.  ^{(author unknown)}

For You Today 

When I forget how much My God loves me, I remember his walk.  When I wonder if I can be forgiven, I remember his walk.  When I need to be reminded of how to live like Christ, I think of his walk.  And to show him how much I love him, I wake up each morning, turn my eyes to him, and I walk.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper explore some of these:   Condemned in the Shadows  and  Table Talk                                          

Title Image:  Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

In Faith

Friday, April 28, 2023

“Now go and call together all the elders of Israel. Tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me.  He told me, “I have been watching closely, and I see how the Egyptians are treating you.  I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt.  I will lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.”’  “The elders of Israel will accept your message.  Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us.  So please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord, our God.’  “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him.  So I will raise my hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them.  Then at last he will let you go.  And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed. Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses.  You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of their wealth.”  Exodus 3:16-22

Starting a new chapter in life can be exciting, uncertain, and even downright scary.  Truth be told, life, however short or long, is a series of new chapters.  The final new chapter for all of us on earth is leaving this life’s cares, pain, loved ones, and virtually everything we’ve accumulated.  Christians (myself included) believe the final earthly new chapter is but the introductory words of the gift our God bestows upon us, the book without end…eternal life. 

At this point in life I can only reasonably conclude that I have many less years ahead of me than behind me.  That does afford the opportunity to do some evaluation of what life has held, and how I have been held up, even in my weakest moments.  Looking back over ones’ journey is far more important than merely nostalgia.  It had better be so…even the word is formidable.  The word nostalgia is formed from joining two thoughts, returning home and pain[1].  The mental image is nothing less than picking at an old wound!

Standing on the verge of full retirement[2] I’m doing a lot of musing over what will occupy my days hence.  The excitement phase of any new chapter, being ready to launch itself into the unknown, will fade into development of whatever God has in store, and I cannot wait to see the color and shape of a new adventure.  If this new ride through God’s vineyard leaves me even half as breathless as the previous 75 years, it’s going to be white-knuckles on the dashboard all the way!

In some way I identify strongly with Abraham.  God called his name and said: Come here, Abe…I want to show you something.  Life really got interesting when Abraham responded:  OK…you lead…I’ll follow.

But that’s the meaning of faith, isn’t it?

For You Today 

You may have hit this retirement moment long before my time, or you may have a while to go; either way we should realize we have the same challenge to launch every morning our feet hit the floor.  He’s ready to lead; our choice is the privilege of following!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper explore some of these:   Just When...  and  The Comfort of Being Known   

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] The Online Etymology Dictionary

[2] My first retirement (2013) was from full-time to part-time (somewhat an oxymoron in pastoral work).

ANGER Issues

Thursday, March 16, 2023

So stop telling lies.  Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.  And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.  If you are a thief, quit stealing.  Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.  Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.  And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.  Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.  Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.  Ephesians 4:25-32

Each of the words or actions apostle Paul says we must banish from our nature is a characteristic, or outcome of anger.  Lying, harboring a grudge, stealing, foul language, abusive behavior, bitterness, rage, slander, and every other anti-social behavior is a child of selfish anger.  At the very least they all are cousins.  And they all are born in an unforgiving heart.  This is why the tail-end of Paul’s counsel is to let the heart tender-up, to learn to forgive.

Choosing to be angry, punishing another rather than forgiving, is that which gives foothold to the devil.  Paul is giving the mountain-climbing metaphor to make it clear, that Satan has a long, nearly impossible job ahead of him getting into your brain and taking over when you’re tenderhearted…a forgiver.  When you’re angry he has no problem climbing all over you. 

Without mincing words the apostle is making it clear, anger is a choice which serves Satan, not Christ.  It is choosing self, rather than what Jesus said about denying self and taking-up the cross.

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.  Luke 9:23

There is not much wiggle-room in that.  And it is a hard thing to break habits that are long-entrenched.  But the words of Christ do not pull punches about giving-up that which gives foothold to the devil’s ways.  The question, for most of us, is:  I want to give up lying, foul language, and all that other stuff, but I keep falling-back into it – I don’t like being angry, but it happens all the time; am I doomed?

The short-answer is emphatically…NO…if you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re already forgiven, you’re not doomed, you’re a human with a carnal nature that can’t be behaviorally-perfect.  The next thought is:  Well, how can I have hope of ever being obedient and getting rid of this anger? 

That is a longer discussion, but the short answer is that leaning on Christ, staying close to the Master, sitting at His feet, and hanging with His people are the ways that God changes us.  Some are blessed to give up anger issues, and the transformation is almost immediate.  Others must persevere, because the behavior has so entwined in every aspect of thinking and doing, it is a longer, more difficult uphill challenge. 

This is why the apostle also advised believers to never stop praying.[1]

For You Today 

Got anger issues?  Keep praying, work on the behavior, trust God today.  And when you wake up tomorrow…REPEAT.  He’s not done with you.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper explore some of these:  So Much Anger - series PART ONE  and PART TWO  and PART THREE       

Title Image: via Pixabay.com    Images without citation are in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] 1 Thessalonians 5:17

I Believe in the Bible (I Believe Series #2)

 

You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.  God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.  2 Timothy 3:15-17

The Bible has been called The Divine Library.  I'm told that the Vatican in Rome has a Bible that measures two feet thick.  And they have one that is only an inch square.  Guides there tell tourists that the big one contains everything Eve said to Adam, while the small one has everything Adam said. 

The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by some 40 authors over a period of nearly 1600 years.  It has been the most loved, most hated, most argued-over book in the history of mankind. 

 I do not intend to speak to the problems of debate over what others think about the scriptures; rather my purpose today is to bring to you what the Bible says about itself.  

Whatever it is NOT, the Bible IS the revelation of the God of creation and glory to mankind.  Our text displays the revelation of God in the scripture's origin, operation, and objective.  We’ll unpack that one phrase at a time in our text.

The Scripture's Origin  

All scripture is inspired by God

Of the varying interpretations of inspiration, two are most widely held:

ð One, that God spoke the words, and the writers, like some heavenly secretaries, took dictation. 

ð Second, that God somehow placed the thoughts and principles in the minds of the writers, and they wrote God's book with their words, including their personality, giving the true meaning God wanted. 

Nowhere in the Bible is a definitive word as to which (if either) method God used.  To tell you truly, I really don't believe it matters.  What matters is what we have, preserved over the last 3500 years, is the inspired Word of God. 

Inspired means "God-breathed".  Whatever the method, the origin is Almighty God.  I am not concerned if He used a stenographer, hand-held cassette recorder, or email to send it; the place it came from is New Jerusalem, and He wrote it to us, and for us!  Now, that does not mean I throw-out the tradition of the church to investigate and authenticate what we have.  It means what it says; I trust God to preserve His word.

If, this morning, you accept what I have said so far, the rest of this sermon will make sense to you.  But without the basic assumption that the Bible is the Word of God, you might as well head for Bo Jangles now, because everything I say is based upon the one fact that God's Word is just that – His Word! 

A preacher once said that If the Bible is true, nothing else matters…and if the Bible is false, nothing matters.  This is true, because the Bible tells of purpose and meaning in life, and a life beyond this world.  If the Bible is false, then there is no meaning, no purpose for existence, and we are no more than a bunch of meaningless blobs of protoplasm, fluids, and animal impulses with no hope beyond this world. 

On the other hand, if you accept the Bible's origin as truth from God, there is light and true purpose to be experienced in this life.  Jesus said He came to bring us life...abundant life.  What a bright outlook!  The difference is in a person, the person of this Book...Jesus. 

When telling people about the truth of the gospel contained in God's Word, I’ve often heard the statement I'd like to believe that.  It might surprise you to know Billy Graham also had his doubts: 

“When I began to preach...I had some doubts about this book.  One day in 1949 I opened-up my Bible and said, 'Oh, God, I do not understand everything in this book.  But, from this day on, I am going to accept this book by faith as the authority for my life and ministry.’"   His life and ministry changed overnight. 

If you have never placed your faith in Jesus Christ, as His Word tells us to do, let me encourage you to do that this morning.  It will change your life.  The scripture's origin is God.

The Scripture's Operation

useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 

The operation, or function of the scripture, is to be profitable, or serviceable, to be helpful for us to know God.  The apostle John told the church not to be gullible, accepting everyone who calls himself a teacher. 

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.  1 John 4:1

The Scripture has a four-fold operational function:

TEACHING – is helping us to understand, or being able to know the pathway God would have us walk, both in the way we have our relationship with Him, and with all His created order…our neighbors!

REPROOF – is how the bible make us realize us we’ve slid off the pathway.  The word means to tell a fault.

CORRECTION - Correction is the positive side of discipline in the life of the believer.  The word literally means to set up straight.  It's God's way to help his children learn how to get back on the pathway of living, so that we are once again blessed, and a blessing to others. 

TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS - The Bible teaches us how to do what is right so we can stay on the pathway – so that God will be pleased with us.  Instruction is like a roadmap for life. 

·       We can find the avenue that leads to salvation in the scripture. 

·       We can travel the highway of confident living when we "trust in the Lord" with all our hearts. 

The operation of the scripture is to be profitable in doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction.  A little girl was sitting with her father in worship.  During the sermon she was drawing a picture of people coming into the church and of others going out of the church.  The people coming in were short and stooped-over.  The people going out were tall and straight.  When asked for an explanation, she replied, When we go to church, God helps us to stand up straight and tall.      

And the Bible tells us that the operation of the scripture is the best you can have in your life when it comes to living a right life through spiritual strength:

For the word of God is alive and powerful.  It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.  It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.  Hebrews 4:12

Finally, note beside the origin and operation,

The Scripture's Objective

God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.   

Everything about the Word of God is designed to strengthen and encourage the believer.  The derivative result of sound doctrine, refuted error, corrected living, and instruction in righteousness, is that the believer is strengthened for serving the Master. 

Did you know that God needs strong servants?  Did you also know that the Bible - IF STUDIED and its' PRINCIPLES APPLIED - will build strong character that gives the follower of Christ the kind of power we need to meet life’s challenges with faith and certainty?

You could fill your house with Bibles, and the Devil wouldn't tremble.  But if you studied, prayed, and applied the principles of God's Word in your life daily, Satan would not only tremble, but he would also crumble!  James Alexander said:  The study of God's Word for the purpose of discovering God's will is the secret discipline which has formed the greatest characters. 

Scripture has the objective of building a man, woman, boy or girl into the kind of useable servant that is a blessing in God's kingdom.

          ·       Do you have a desire to be a strong Christian? 

          ·       Do you look at others with strong faith, and wish you could be like them? 

          ·       Do you look at overcoming believers who are living the victorious, joy-filled Christian experience, and long for that in your life? 

The key is God's holy Word, which tells us our pilgrimage through life is not all about if we will have storms and tests and difficulties; it is all about preparing for when the trials come.

That great preacher Phillips Brooks told in a sermon the analogy of an old wooden sailing ship at sea, fighting a great storm.  The winds were howling and the waves rolling.  Will the ship hold together?  It seemed like a terrible struggle.  But really, the battle is not on the ocean today,

          ·       it was fought in the forest long ago where the timber grew,

          ·       and in the shipyard where the nails fastened the wooden planks to the hull,

          ·       and the seams that were caulked. 

·       The battle was fought in the care given to the ship through the years guarding against dry rot and loose fittings. 

We have this great sign hanging over our front door that describes the attitude that succeeds in preparing for the storms in accordance with God’s Word.  It says 

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass…   

it’s about learning to dance in the rain

The storm today is only the test...the battle was fought long ago in preparation. 

• Beloved, if you want to live the victorious Christian life, and
• be sound in your doctrine, able to refute the errors of false teaching allow Scripture to correct you and stand you up straight, so you will be

          ·       a servant well-instructed in the righteousness of God.

This can be your future if you take the time NOW to accept the Bible as your teacher. 

It will be because you allow the Bible to operate in your life, and achieve the objective of making you the servant of God, mature, ready to serve!

If you back up just one verse from our text in Paul’s second letter to Timothy, you’ll see Paul encouraging the young pastor to recall that he was well-taught in the scripture since he was just a child.  What did that build in young Timothy?  It brought him to the point of knowing that salvation was available to him.  The chief end of scripture is to point us towards God's family. 

3 Quick Questions

·       Do you believe the Bible is true? 

·       Do you believe the Word of God operates in our lives to teach us true doctrine, reprove false teaching, correct our living, and instruct us? 

·       Do you believe the Bible? 

I do!  And when I placed my faith in the Author of that Word, it changed my life forever.  It can do the same for you. 

Our Prayer

Father, for the sake of Your kingdom ….

May the inspired Word of God lead us to follow the will of God this week, and in the coming months and years ahead, as totally-equipped saints of God – instructed, reproved, corrected, fully-trained to do all His leading, with Great JOY!

We pray in the name of Christ.

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